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When Arsenal and Manchester United clash, there's no
place for the faint-hearted.

Arsenal and Manchester United have become the Tom and Jerry of
English soccer, but without the comedy. The continuation of the
game's most bitter feud concealed that these two colossal
institutions are almost certainly chasing the Premier League's
silver medal.

The police, the sports minister and the chief executive of the
Premier League all tried to instil some dignity into the
Arsenal-United ballyhoo, but their energies were wasted.

From the moment the two captains eye-balled each other in the
tunnel and then refused to shake hands before the kick-off, it was
plain that a sense of social responsibility would again be thin on
the ground.

Manchester United's 4-2 victory, having been 2-1 down at
half-time and having Mikael Silvestre sent off in the second half,
allowed United to leapfrog Arsene Wenger's men into second place
behind Chelsea.

Captain Patrick Vieira headed Arsenal into an eighth-minute
lead, Ryan Giggs levelled for United 10 minutes later with a
deflected shot and Dennis Bergkamp restored Arsenal's lead before
the break.

But Cristiano Ronaldo's goals in the 54th and 58th minutes,
along with an 88th-minute strike by substitute John O'Shea,
completed a United double over the champion after Arsenal's record
49-match unbeaten league run ended in a 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford
in October.

Television cameras caught United skipper Roy Keane furiously
shouting and pointing at Vieira in the tunnel as the players walked
out for the start with referee Graham Poll forced to intervene.

United manager Alex Ferguson said that Vieira had started the
latest bout of trouble between the two clubs. "I've heard different
stories. Patrick Vieira has apparently threatened some of our
players and things like that," he said.

"So he was well wound up for it," the Scot added with a
laugh.

Keane said: "If people want to intimidate some of our teammates,
let's have a go at some of the other players. They think Gary
Neville is an easy target, but I'm not having it." France
international Vieira would not be drawn on the spat with Keane. "I
think Gary Neville is a big boy and he can handle everything by
himself," he said.

The Arsenal-Manchester United games are a minor championship
within a league title race: a twice-yearly duel that consumes both
sets of players. The outcome can have a major bearing on the wider
power struggle. Keane was masterful in his distribution of the ball
from deep positions. Ronaldo dispatched his two second-half chances
with the real assassin's purpose. Bergkamp rolled back the years to
present a constant menace to the United back four.

The eight years of bickering between the old guard is now a
drama in itself. Although Arsenal seemed to be seizing that title
in a spirited opening 15 minutes, it was United that exerted the
greater control overall.

Its two second-half goals stunned a Highbury crowd who must have
felt that revenge for the indignities of Old Trafford was within
reach.

If any lasting conclusion could be drawn as the smoke began to
clear, it was that United's extraordinary domestic resurgence has
relegated the Highbury Invincibles of 2003-2004 to the bronze.

Compressed on both sides by Roman Abramovich's billions and
United's relentless league form, Arsenal has loosened its grip. The
feud is compelling, but no longer palatable. Old-fashioned
aggression and hostility have been eclipsed by the dark arts. Here,
too, Chelsea is winning the argument.

In the night's other games, Liverpool won 2-1 at Charlton
Athletic, Bolton Wanderers beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-1, Portsmouth
was a 2-1 winner against Middlesbrough and 10-man Crystal Palace
drew 2-2 at West Bromwich Albion.